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2023-03-08 Planning Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS PLANNING BOARD Minutes of Regular Meeting March 8, 2023 Chair Gladstone called the March 8, 2023 regular meeting of the Edmonds Planning Board to order at 7:00 p.m. at Edmonds City Hall and on Zoom at 7:01 p.m. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES The Land Acknowledgement was read by Board Member Golembiewski. Board Members Present Judi Gladstone, Chair Richard Kuehn Lauren Golembiewski Jeremy Mitchell Susanna Martini Beth Tragus-Campbell, Vice Chair Nick Maxwell (alternate) Lily Distelhorst (student rep) Board Members Absent Todd Cloutier Staff Present David Levitan, Planning Manager Deb Powers, Urban Forest Planner (online) Susan McLaughlin, Planning and Development Director READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION MADE BY VICE CHAIR CAMPBELL, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER GOLEMBIEWSKI, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 15 SPECIAL MEETING AS AMENDED TO CORRECT SCRIVENERS ERRORS. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA Chair Gladstone recommended moving the extended agenda discussion to Unfinished Business. There was consensus to reorder the agenda as suggested. THERE WAS UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS AMENDED. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Roger Pence commented on the Draft Vision Statement which was published four months ago and has since been on hiatus. He noted that the link on the back of the Mayor's newsletter takes you to a questionnaire with Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 1 of 8 one yes/no question to respond if you like the vision statement or not. He does not believe this is an adequate test of public opinion. He hopes a serious effort to connect with the public will occur. He noted that the Vision Statement and the Climate Action Plan are both elements of the Revised Comprehensive Plan and need to come through the Planning Board for approval per the Planning Board Charter. Finis Tupper, 43-year resident of Edmonds, commented he came to speak at the Planning Board in February and has sent several entails to staff with questions and has not gotten responses from anyone. He wondered if anyone has received those. He hopes he will get an answer to his question rather than taking the issue of the February 8 meeting to court as he has done in the past. He is very interested in the Growth Management Act and the Comprehensive Plan. He claimed the Board met in private and won't disclose what they discussed. He threatened to take the City and the individual board members to court if he doesn't get an answer to his questions that he sent. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Review and Approval of Planning Board Handbook Chair Gladstone said she had provided some suggested revisions in a document to the group prior the meeting. She invited comments on those or on other topics related to the handbook. Board Member Maxwell asked if there is language in the handbook about the Board's authority to make site -specific rezones. Board Member Golembiewski noted that it just references the code. Chair Gladstone suggested adding language around communications related to a quasi-judicial subject matter. Board Member Golembiewski suggested adding language about what quasi-judicial and ex parte communications mean. Planning Manager Levitan reviewed changes/comments suggested by Chair Gladstone: • An expectation for hybrid meetings that board members' cameras are on. • A question asking if agendas for special meetings are required to be posted in newspapers. Planning Manager Levitan explained there is no requirement for this. It only has to be posted online and in three locations at City Hall. He noted that a special meeting can be held with 24 hours' notice but there would be no way to get notice into a paper in that time. That is a general boards and commissions provision. • Clarification about the deadline for agenda submission and who has the final say about what is on the agenda. Chair Gladstone indicated she and staff could iron this out. • A recommendation to strike "consensus". There was consensus to make this change. • Clarification about quorum requirements. Planning Manager Levitan will add language regarding this. • A request to let the Planning Board know what the public records retention schedule is. Do personal notes need to be uploaded to the shared drive? Planning Manager Levitan replied they do not, but the shared drive is available to share files as opposed to emailing. • Should language be in here about how to acknowledge or not acknowledge if an absence is excused? Planning Manager Levitan replied it was up to the Board how this should be handled. Chair Gladstone suggested clarity that board members must attend 70% of meetings in a calendar year and not have three consecutive unexcused absences or that member can be removed. B. 2023 Extended Agenda Discussion Chair Gladstone said she would like a discussion about whether the comprehensive list of topics for the year is complete. Planning Manager Levitan explained that right now the extended agenda covers more of the proposed Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 2 of 8 code updates. There are several major code amendments that are part of the code modernization project which will be coming to the Planning Board. He noted that minor code amendments do not require Planning Board review. He asked for feedback on how to best involve the Planning Board versus a steering committee versus a subcommittee of the Planning Board members for specific topics. On March 22 there will be a public hearing to consider the ADB (Architectural Design Board) recommendation and make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the design review process and step back requirements in the CG zone. The ADB's recommendation is to maintain the interim ordinance. There was some discussion about how the public hearing and recommendation process works. Chair Gladstone asked if anyone from the ADB would be present at the next meeting to present their recommendation. Planning Manager Levitan did not think so but said they could reach out to the ADB to see if they would provide a written recommendation with the rationale for their decision. Board Member Golembiewski recommended some way of highlighting code amendment items on the extended agenda. It's not always apparent which items are code amendments. Planning Manager Levitan indicated that staff could identify those for the Planning Board. Planning Manager Levitan asked the Planning Board about their comfort level with being involved with the various parts of the Comprehensive Plan Update. Board Member Maxwell stated he was fine seeing something regarding the Comprehensive Plan every month once they get going with the policy development as had been previously discussed. He was in favor of receiving preliminary technical analyses via email as opposed to having in -person presentations as long as there was opportunity to provide feedback in meetings. Other board members concurred. Board Member Mitchell asked how priorities on the extended agenda might change depending on what happens in Olympia. Planning Manager Levitan replied that they haven't done a whole lot of analysis on the housing side which could turn out to be beneficial. As staff does the EIS scoping alternatives, they may add an alternative that is a version of House Bill 1110 or something like that with greater housing choice within all neighborhoods. Staff will try to provide enough flexibility to accommodate some of the potential required changes. Vice Chair Campbell said she would like to get a subcommittee started to work on some public engagement for each of the upcoming public hearings on things like code amendments. She volunteered to lead and asked for a couple other people interested in helping to make sure they have as much engagement as possible. She would also like to talk to whoever is responsible for doing social media and publications for the City. Planning Manager Levitan replied that would be fine as long as there are not more than three board members. Board Member Maxwell volunteered to help on the subcommittee. Planning Manager Levitan continued with 2023 projects. Minor amendments are currently being discussed for the existing tree ordinance regulating tree removal/protection/replacement related to development activities. Additionally, there will be a new ordinance developed related to regulating tree removal/protection/replacement on private property not associated with development. Community engagement for tree code amendments is kicking off now. Chair Gladstone asked about the Tree Board's involvement in this process. Urban Forest Planner Deb Powers explained that a consultant would be utilized to facilitate a meeting with the Tree Board to get their input, but they won't necessarily write a recommendation to the Planning Board versus the City Council. Chair Gladstone didn't think it mattered who it was written to; she was interested in hearing their thoughts even if one person came to report. Planning Manager Levitan replied they could continue to discuss Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 3 of 8 that. Board Member Golembiewski noted that the consultant would compile the Tree Board's thoughts which would be useful for the Planning Board. Ms. Powers commented that the consultant would be facilitating a community conversation, a survey, and four stakeholder groups. One of those stakeholder groups will be Tree Board, but the findings from all those groups will be available for the Planning Board. Vice Chair Campbell requested that the Tree Board's input be separated out or highlighted in the reports. Ms. Powers indicated they could do that. Another item coming to the Planning Board will be a citizen -initiated code amendment to modify permissible uses within the Neighborhood Business (BN) zone. An introduction of that topic to the Planning Board will be done in April with a public hearing in May. This is a code amendment, not a zoning change. It would impact the whole zone. Board Member Golembiewski wondered if it would make sense to discuss the Five Corners Neighborhood Center Plan around that same time since there are very few BN zones remaining in Edmonds, and this is one of them. Planning Manager Levitan noted that part of the recommendation from the Housing Commission related to these kinds of areas that are directly adjacent to the BN. There were discussions about permissible uses within them to create a more vibrant commercial core and the potential for having middle housing adjacent to those to provide a bit more density to support the commercial uses. He stated that this is a topic they could introduce as part of that. The Housing Commission also recommended Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) code amendments. These would implement the Housing Commission's recommendations and reflect recent state legislation and best practices for detached and attached ADUs. There will be an introduction to this topic in May or June and a public hearing in July or August. Additional code amendments coming to the Planning Board (July 2023-March 2024) include the critical aquifer recharge area, wireless code (small cell, others), multifamily design standards, street/sidewalk standards, and right-of-way permits. Chair Gladstone asked about the code modernization. Planning Manager Levitan replied that besides these substantive changes to the individual sections there will be a general code modernization component of that as well. Chair Gladstone noted that another thing Council had expressed an interest in seeing was related to other housing policies. Planning Manager Levitan replied that housing will be filled in as they get going with the Comprehensive Plan. Also, any code updates that come out of bills that are passed will have specific dates for codes to be adopted. Generally, there is flexibility so cities can get through their comprehensive plan updates. Vice Chair Campbell recommended a discussion about Civic Park Rules to see how those are going. Chair Gladstone said there had been some concerns raised about the noise ordinance related to generators. Planning Manager Levitan explained that would be addressed as part of the code modernization project. He noted there have been a couple requests to exempt generators from the noise ordinance either when power is out or if periodic testing is being done. Finally, the Comprehensive Plan Update is required to be complete by December 31, 2024. The existing Comprehensive Plan has a purpose and scope, background information, and nine elements (chapters). There will be updates to the goals and policies and additional plans adopted by reference (Highway 99 subarea plan, Community Cultural Plan, PROS Plan, Streetscape and Street Tree Plan). The City will issue a Determination of Significance later this month and solicit public comments on the scope of analysis. This requires a 30-day Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 4 of 8 public comment period and a public meeting. The City will also be integrating scoping/public comments for Highway 99 Subarea SEIS. Board Member Mitchell asked about a gap analysis that was done. Planning Manager Levitan replied there was a climate and equity gap analysis that was done over the summer to determine if there are gaps that should be factored in as they do the Comprehensive Plan Update. He offered to send out a copy of this to the Board. NEW BUSINESS A. Planning Board Feedback on Draft Vision Statement Chair Gladstone solicited ideas for how to provide feedback on the Draft Vision Statement. Director McLaughlin clarified that the Community Vision Statement is not an adoption. It is a grassroots effort that basically helps to frame the direction of the Comprehensive Plan as they move into more substantive policy work. It was result of six weeks of tabling, talking, surveying, presentations, comment collection. To wordsmith that statement would be to change it. Staff feels very strongly that this should continue to be a community vision. Staff is looking forward to getting content in front of the Planning Board as soon as possible because they realize that the waiting is hard. She cautioned against tweaking a community vision statement. Staff firmly believes it is representative of the words that were spoken to them. Chair Gladstone said it wasn't about wordsmithing, but about the nature of the statement and how it provides a vision for the City or not. One of the things she heard repeatedly when she served on the Housing Commission was a question about what the vision was and what they were planning for. The vision is really important for shaping what the policy is. Director McLaughlin agreed that this is very high level. As they continue with the work plan there will be value statements that they all craft together as it relates to the topics. Vice Chair Campbell commented that their interpretation was that it was presented to the Planning Board with an invitation to provide comments. Director McLaughlin apologized for the misunderstanding and reiterated staff s intention to keep the vision statement pure. She believes that the vision statement should always be seen in conjunction with the graphic that goes along with it because it shows the journey. She noted that the question linked to the QR code asking if people liked the vision statement or not was intentionally very short. If they go back out to ask people to tweak the vision statement. they would be negating the 8,500 comments they already received and the very analytical process that was done to get to these words. If they get a majority of noes from the feedback it means they need to go back and try again. Vice Chair Campbell noted that the impression people have is that the City is asking for feedback. Director McLaughlin strongly stated that they are not. Vice Chair Campbell referred to the QR code and said she interprets that as the City asking what she thinks. Director McLaughlin said they are interpreting that as validation, not feedback. Student Representative Distelhorst expressed confidence in staff s ability to take the vision statement and use it to help form the Comprehensive Plan. She also thinks that 20 years is a long time. In 20 years, this vision statement won't even matter anymore. What really matters is the policies and the work that result with the Comprehensive Plan. Board Member Golembiewski commented that the fact that this has shown up twice on the agenda as a "draft" vision statement is confusing and makes it appear it is up for editing. Director McLaughlin apologized for the confusion. She explained that it is a draft because of the promise they made to Council that they were still going to validate it. Technically, until it is validated by the community (yes/no survey) it is still a draft. Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 5 of 8 Board Member Kuehn suggested that changing the name from a vision statement to a value statement could alleviate some of the frustration and confusion. Director McLaughlin suggested that the challenge the Board is having is seeing it in isolation instead of in relation to a work plan. Board Member Martini recommended giving each other grace and recognizing and valuing each other's hard work. Board Member Golembiewski recommended that the Planning Board withhold any input they might have until the survey results are in and they determine if their input is needed. There was consensus by the Planning Board to have this be their position. B. 2023 Climate Action Plan (CAP) Director McLaughlin reviewed background on this document, the CAP development process, stakeholder feedback from 2021 survey and open houses. The greatest concerns were related to increased wildfires, loss of wildlife, poor air quality, well-being of future generations, personal costs or resources, and climate refugees. There was the greatest support for energy efficiency in buildings, improving transit systems, reducing materials consumption and waste, and focusing on the biggest impact of GHG and high influence of change. Key sections of the CAP include a Call to Action, Equity, GHG Emissions, Buildings & Energy, Transportation, Environment, and Lifestyles & Consumption. Some key actions the City can take: • Adopt regulations to require new multi -family and commercial buildings to be 100% electric by 2023. • Support changes to the State building code to allow Edmonds to mandate that new single-family residences be 100% electric. • Require EV charging infrastructure with new development. • Support transit -oriented housing choices development in neighborhood commercial centers. • Create a green building incentive program to foster low carbon developments. • Develop an action plan to adapt to sea level rise in Edmonds. Call to Action - The most effective actions that individuals and businesses in Edmonds can take are to: • Replace fossil -fuel burning heating systems, hot water heaters and cooking equipment powered with efficient electric appliances. • Replace fossil -fuel burning vehicles with electric vehicles. • Reduce vehicle trips by using transit, telecommuting, biking, or walking. • Conserve energy wherever possible, especially energy from fossil fuels. Director McLaughlin reviewed what the City has done to reduce GHG emission and equity considerations. Residential and commercial buildings total 50% of all Edmonds' GHG emissions. This highlights the importance of incentivizing the green building program. The two biggest sectors for GHG emissions remain buildings and transportation. Electric consumption in buildings declined 7% since 2000. Natural gas consumption increased by 25%. Transportation emissions increased by 27% since 2000. Key takeaways — Edmonds has not kept to its goals since the 2011 CAP. Key Takeaways for Residential: Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 6 of 8 • Residential buildings emit roughly twice the quantity of GHG's that commercial and industrial buildings in Edmonds emit. • GHG reduction strategies that focus on homes using carbon -based fuels, and especially heating and hot water, will have the greatest effect. • Multifamily homes can use as little as 30% of the energy of a single-family residence. • Promoting smaller units in a transit -rich context will have multi -faceted GHG reduction benefits. Key Takeaways for Transportation: • 80% of the GHG emissions from the transportation sector are from the passenger vehicle. • Approximately 71 % of workers in Edmonds commuted in private vehicles in 2017. • Over half of the 71 % of Edmonds SOV commuters had commutes longer than 20 minutes. • Reducing GHG emissions can also be done by reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Director McLaughlin reviewed how the metrics are tracked over time. Staff is confident if the City puts these actions into play, they will meet their target 2035 target. Chair Gladstone commended the work behind this CAP. It provides good context for many things that will be coming the Planning Board's way. Board Member Maxwell agreed that there is quite a bit of overlap between the CAP and the Planning Board's work. He noted that if the Planning Board wanted to make a recommendation on what to include in the Comprehensive Plan to the City Council, staff would need to delay the presentation to the City Council. Director McLaughlin noted that a lot of the actions pertaining to land use and transportation, which are largely the Planning Board's purview, are already duplicative with Comprehensive Plan policies that have been on the books for decades. She stressed that this is not a policy document; it is an action -oriented document. She noted that one of the "actions" could be not taking action. Vice Chair Campbell noted that it is helpful when the specific Comprehensive Plan metrics are included in the presentations from staff. She would love to see any presentations or recommendations from staff reference back to this document. Director McLaughlin thought that was a great idea. Board Member Golembiewski asked how the switch to being completely electric will work if the state electric source is not completely renewable. Director McLaughlin replied that every agency has set targets to be 100% renewable or 100% offset. UNFINISHED BUSINESS C. Project Status: Tree Code Updates AMD2022-0004 Chair Gladstone solicited tree code comments for staff. There were no additional comments. PLANNING BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Gladstone thanked staff and board members for being here so late. PLANNING BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS Board members generally thanked staff for the meeting and the packet materials. Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 7 of 8 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 p.m Planning Board Meeting Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 8 of 8